The __new__ method is the first method that's called when a new instance of an object needs to be created, whereas the  __init__ method is run only when the newly created instance of the object needs to be initialized. In the normal flow of class instance creation, the __new__ method will always be executed first and should only be overridden when the developer wants to gain control over the creation of new instances. This method should then be followed by a call to the __init__ method, which will be called once the instance has been created and will need to be initialized.